The present invention relates to the new and distinct butterfly bush plant of the Scrophulariaceae family, Buddleia ‘Orchid Annie’ hybridized by Hans A. Hansen in the summer of 2009 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA. ‘Orchid Annie’ is the result of an ongoing breeding program conducted by the inventor. The goals for this program have been to produce improved, garden-worthy plants for the ornamental plant market. The new plant, originally assigned breeder code H9-47-01, is a single seedling selected from a self-pollination of Buddleia ‘Blue Chip’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,991 as the female or seed patent and Buddleia ‘Blue Chip’ also as the male parent.
Buddleia ‘Orchid Annie’ was first asexually propagated from a single select plant in 2012 by stem cuttings at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The resultant asexually propagated plants have been found to be stable and true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
No plants of Buddleia ‘Orchid Annie’ have been sold, in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing of this application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made prior to the filing of this application with the exception of that which may have been disclosed within one year of the filing of this application and was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.